https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1634-A-War-with-No-Victors-Eighty-Four-/12529397/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-1636-A-War-Without-Victors-Eighty-Six-/12529402/
Chapter 1635: A War Without Victors (Eighty-Five)
Chapter 1635: A War Without Victors (Eighty-Five)
"They've left."
"That's probably for the best. Britain isn't exactly safe these days."
Albert nodded slightly, showing little attachment to the departure of his three lovers.
"They'll be back in a few days."
Isabelle glanced at little Alice, who was still stumbling as she walked, and then at Albert, who was filled with paternal love. She reminded him, "You can't expect to keep them locked up in that villa for your pleasure forever."
At this, Katrina stifled a giggle, thinking that it might be Albert who was being pleasured instead.
Moreover, she knew that it was Isabelle who had persuaded Catherine, Valeria, and Louise to accompany her on a trip to France.
Not only was France safer than Britain at the moment, but it would also give Albert some breathing room. Lately, he had noticeably lost weight, and the demands of his numerous lovers were taking a toll on his body.
"Oh, I know," Albert said nonchalantly.
"Any regrets?"
"There's no such thing as regret in this world!" Albert watched as little hands reached out to tug on the cat's tail. "I just never expected them to be so... "
He paused, searching for the right word: "Fervent."
"Isn't that how it usually starts?"
Isabelle could empathize, as she and Albert had been just as passionate, if not more so, in the beginning. The difference was that she had been his sole focus then, whereas now he had to divide his attention between three young women. It was only natural that they might feel unfulfilled at times.
So, one couldn't really blame them for their greed and fervor.
"I never got that kind of treatment. Before I could even get started, Hermione swooped in and took my place." Katrina pouted, looking aggrieved. "And now, out of the blue, there are three of them."
"You won't have to compete with anyone soon enough." Isabelle glanced at her sister, who was feigning aggrievement. "And besides, don't you want to avoid having children for now?"
"It's not a big deal." Katrina shrugged. "Albert could use some time to recuperate anyway."
"What's the situation in the wizarding world these days?" Isabelle ignored her sister's grumbling and steered the conversation back to Albert. "Are those pure-bloods who've joined Voldemort really mass-producing werewolves?"
"It's hard to say for sure right now, but the possibility is high for the next full moon."
"What do you mean?"
Katrina was momentarily baffled, not quite following the conversation, but Isabelle understood.
"You don't think..."
"That attack was suspicious. Who ordered those werewolves to assassinate Kingsley is still a mystery." Albert shared his speculations briefly.
"Weren't they just a bunch of stupid pure-bloods?" Katrina asked, puzzled. As long as their family was unaffected, she didn't pay much attention to such matters.
"Haven't you tried divination?" Isabelle asked, puzzled by her sister's lack of insight. She was well aware of Albert's proficiency in divination.
"I tried, and the divination pointed to Death Eaters."
Albert found it unlikely that the Death Eaters were behind the attack. While they might be foolish, they weren't three-year-olds. They would surely have foreseen the consequences of such an action.
Furthermore, he doubted that the pure-bloods were unaware of his talent for divination. With his skills, finding the culprits wouldn't be difficult, yet they had gone ahead with the attack anyway. Was it really just because they were that stupid?
"So, what are you suspecting? Or do you think there's a conspiracy at play here?" Isabelle sensed that Albert had noticed something amiss.
"It just feels off." Albert didn't elaborate further on the matter. Instead, he changed the subject and asked about the recent business at the Witch's Beauty Shop.
"Steady as she goes."
Katrina was quite laid-back about it. She had never expected to make a fortune from beauty potions. The wizarding population in Britain was limited, and it took time to build a good reputation for the shop.
"Even if we had a lot of customers, we wouldn't be able to keep up. Our stockpile of raw materials won't last forever. We might need to... um, streamline the production process. I asked Catherine about it, and they've hired quite a few potion masters."
Isabelle had considered emulating Catherine's approach to solve their problem: dividing the tasks of processing, cutting, and precisely measuring the raw materials, followed by mass production of the final product.
While this method would still be time-consuming, it would significantly increase the yield and reduce the time spent brewing the potions.
"It's a very primitive method. It seems that even in the Americas, the output of beauty potions isn't that high." Albert wasn't too surprised. This was also one of the reasons why beauty potions tended to be expensive.
After all, if they were mass-produced, it would be strange for them to be so pricey.
Fred and George were in a similar predicament. The Joke Shop was essentially a handicraft workshop, and they were fortunate that the demand for their joke items wasn't too high. On top of that, Albert had arranged for help to ease their burden; otherwise, they might have worked themselves to death.
As for industrialization?
They could forget about it! Aside from the market not having such a large supply and demand, the supply of raw materials was also a significant issue. Even if they did manage to produce a large quantity, they might end up unable to sell it all. This was the reality of the wizarding world globally, unless one could monopolize the entire world—which was practically impossible.
Well, there was one thing that came close to a global monopoly.
Floo Powder.
But even that wasn't fully industrialized; Catherine's beauty potion production line had been inspired by the partially industrialized process used for Floo Powder.
"There's no need to rush. You don't have experience in this area, so take your time." Albert nodded in satisfaction. "Even with the ready-made experience provided by Catherine and Louise, you'll need time to digest and adapt it."
"I'm in no hurry. We have plenty of time in the future, and making money isn't the only goal of the beauty potions."
"It's good that you see it that way."
As little Alice reached out to grab Tom's tail, Albert lifted her up. "It's time for bed."
"Daddy, Daddy..."
Little Alice reached out toward Tom, eager to grab the cat's tail.
"Tom's getting old. Don't bother him. I'll get you a cat tail to play with later." Albert kissed Alice's cheek and handed her to Isabelle, ready to put her to bed as usual.
"I think you're planning to raise our daughter like a cat." Isabelle looked at her husband, amused, as he prepared to entertain their daughter with a toy.
"Aren't they all like that? I even asked Mom for advice."
"She was never a qualified mother. Isabelle took care of me when I was young."
"I've never worried about Isabelle. My only concern is whether I'll be a good father." Albert picked up Tom and added, "After all, I only have experience raising a cat, and although I took care of my sister when she was younger, it's not the same."
As if remembering something, Albert suddenly said, "After I retire from Hogwarts next year and the work at the Witch's Beauty Shop stabilizes, I'll go visit my family, and then we can start traveling the world."
"You're already thinking about retirement before you've even started working." Isabelle was speechless, but she nodded in agreement to this seemingly whimsical proposal.
(End of Chapter)
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